Lewis Hamilton is the Clark Kent of Formula One champions, heroic but humble

He drank water most of the night at the knees-up to celebrate his title triumph and on his first morning as Formula One's youngest world champion confessed to his father that he did not know what was going on. Someone had better tell the boy next door he has just become a global superstar.

The Hamilton phenomenon was debated on phone-ins from Hatfield to Hong Kong. Any who might not have heard of him last week know all about him now. Even our political leaders are on his case. Congratulatory messages pinged out of No 10 and Conservative Central Office. On the ground in Brazil, Olympics minister Tessa Jowell was first out with the camera in the McLaren hospitality suite after the race.

His significance as a sporting icon/ethnic totem/cultural envoy is largely lost on him. It is enough that he has acquired a No 1 on his car. "That's the coolest thing ever," he said. Hamilton is happy to leave the business of weaving a narrative around his achievements, of classifying his significance and impact at large, to the rest to us.

The fresh-faced 23-year-old giving us his take on a remarkable 24 hours and the gladiator who negotiated the Brazilian car chase form hell were, like Clark Kent and Superman, impossible to square.

There must be a beast sewn into his overalls. The marketing men seeking to package our hero as the new Beckham have got their work cut out. He wasn't playing ball on Monday, despite being told he is speeding towards a £1 billion windfall on the back of the most dramatic title decider in the history of Formula One.

Asked if he would be treating himself with the proceeds, Hamilton offered a flat "nope".

"It would be nice to have a house at some stage. I have a nice apartment, nice drum kit, nice guitars. I don't need anything more. I have won the world championship. What else do you need?

"I'm comfortable in life and of course its amazing to realise you have money. I didn't have £100 to buy some trainers when I was younger so to think we can do those things now is great but it does not particularly motivate me. I would have done this for free. It just so happens I get paid to do my hobby."

There was little encouragement either for those who would have him an agent for social change, though he did offer his support for Barack Obama, who is poised today to become the first black American voted to the office of president. "I have been watching it closely. If I was there, I do like Obama, so I would give him all the support I could. I do hope he gets it."

Of course Hamilton recognises the important of race. How could he not given the persistent reminders from Spain? But that is not why he goes racing. "I have never turned up to a race and thought I'm the only black dude here. I love to race and I enjoy the experience. Hopefully by wining the world championship it can open doors to other cultures and youngsters can see that dreams can come true. I'm still living mine."

What about knocking Michael Schumacher into the nether regions of Formula One's record book. "I don't plan or try to reach any of his records. It's not something that appeals to me. Records don't mean a huge amount to me.

"I love being in the car and winning. That's a great feeling, a fulfilling achievement. Just to get to one world title has been unbelievably hard. Hopefully I'll grow as a driver and if that means winning world championships so be it."

In resisting the heroic storyline Hamilton is in fact revealing the genuine elements of a nature that define all great champions. There is an essential humility about him. Despite his obvious gifts, his remarkable ability behind the wheel, his status as the youngest world champion in F1, he does not see himself as special.

This modesty irks his detractors even more. Resentment is the natural reflex of the inferior being. They look for outlandish reasons why he succeeds at the expense of the obvious reasons why they don't. This is how the cocky, brash, arrogant, conceited, lucky, undeserving Hamilton passed his championship night. Not up to his neck in birds and booze.

"Apart from a couple of glasses of champagne I mostly drank water. Towards the end of the night I just sat there on the side. A song came on, We are the Champions. I just saw all the team members, my mechanics, the engineers, catering, the bosses, my dad, everyone was so happy.

"I could just sit there and take all that in. It was a feeling you can't put into words. To see how happy you have made everyone after the work they have put in. Seeing that was my present last night. Then I left and went to bed. I learnt my lesson from last year. It was only the third party I have been to this year."

Most in the audience would have benefited from an intravenous drip to counter the after-effects of adrenalin and alcohol. "You guys are looking more tired than me," he said, demonstrating that he is made of different stuff. Every ounce of it was laid out across the Interlagos track as he reached out for the world drivers' championship, which two laps from home suddenly turned into a bar of soap.

The subsequent hunting down of Timo Glock has become the definitive symbol of a sporting life. Everything, it seems, goes to the wire with Hamilton. Championships are won or lost by a point. Fasten your seat belts; there could be another 15 years of this. "I won't change my driving style. It is what got me here. I always take it to the edge. I'll never step back from that."

Black Britons who broke down the barriers

Roland Butcher: The dashing Middlesex batsman and brilliant fielder was born in Barbados, made his life in England and became the first black cricketer to play for England – against the West Indies in Barbados in 1981.

James 'Darkie' Peters: Orphaned son of a well-known Jamaican circus performer who was killed by a lion. Peters was the first black rugby player to represent England when he played outside-half against Scotland in 1906 but was 'rested' later that season when the Springboks complained about his possible selection against them.

Walter Tull: Also of Barbadian ancestry, Tull was another orphan and was the first black footballer to play professional First Division football as an outfield player and later became the first commissioned black officer to serve in a British regiment.

Viv Anderson: Tull was the pioneer but Viv Anderson – then playing for Nottingham Forest – became the first black footballer to represent England in a full international when he played against Czechoslovakia in 1978, the first of 32 caps for the gifted defender